WAR BELT

It is provided thus: There shall be one War Chief from each nation, and their duties shall be to carry messages for their Chiefs, and to take up arms in case of emergency. They shall not participate in the proceedings of the Council of the League, but shall watch its progress and in case of an erroneous action by a Chief, they shall receive the complaints of the people and convey the warning of the women to him. The people who wish to convey messages to the Chiefs of the League shall do so through the War Chief of their nation. It shall always be his duty to lay the cases, questions, and propositions of the people before the Council of the League.

It is provided thus: When a War Chief dies another shall be installed by the same rites as that by which a Chief is installed.

It is provided thus: If a War Chief acts contrary to instructions or against the provisions of the Laws of the Great Peace, doing so in the capacity of his office, he shall be deposed by his women relatives and by his men relatives. Either the women or the men alone or jointly may act in such a case. The women titleholders shall then choose another candidate.

It is provided thus: When the proposition to establish The Great Peace is made to a foreign nation, it shall be done in mutual council. The foreign nation is to be persuaded by reason and urged to come into the Great Peace. If the Five nations fail to obtain the consent of the nation at the first council a second council shall be held, and upon a second failure, a third council shall be held, and this third council shall end the peaceful methods of persuasion. At the third council, the War chief of the Five Nations shall address the chief of the foreign nation and request him three times to accept The Great Peace. If refusal steadfastly follows, the War Chief shall let the bunch of white wampum drop from his outstretched hand to the ground, and shall bound forward and quickly club the offending chief to death. War shall thereby be declared, and the War Chief shall have his warriors to back any emergency. War must continue until the contest is won by the Five Nations.

It is provided thus: When the Chiefs of the Five Nations propose to meet in conference with a foreign nation with proposals for an acceptance of The Great Peace, a large band of warriors shall conceal themselves in a secure place from the espionage of the foreign nation but as near at hand as possible. Two warriors shall accompany the Union Chief, who carries the proposals, and these warriors shall accompany the Union Chief who carries the proposals, and these warriors shall be especially cunning. Should the Chief be attacked, these warriors shall hasten back to the army of warriors with the news of the calamity, which fell through the treachery of the foreign nation.

It is provided thus: When the Five nations Council declares war, any Chief of the League may enlist with the warriors by temporarily renouncing his sacred chieftainship title which he holds through the nomination of his women relative. The title then reverts to them and they may bestow it upon another temporarily until the war is over, when the Chief, if living, may resume his title and sit in the council.